It’s a sunny, cool day. After a grueling vertical climb, an eleven-year-old finally reaches the top of the rock wall and rings the bell proudly. I cheer. The group’s teacher cheers. I look over my shoulder at the other students on the ground, who are strangely silent, and find them huddled around cell phones.

There is an immense pressure from the world to know what you want to be when you “grow up”. I remember being that college freshman scrambling to choose a major. Boy was it tough! I ended up taking the list of majors and marking off what I DIDN’T want to do.

This past spring I found myself in a familiar position – getting ready for a no-hold barred game of Ultimate Frisbee at the state of Florida’s “Leaders Rally.” The twice-a-year gathering of teen leaders in Y programs is known for character development (which of course has to include Ultimate, right?)

Jordan is part of the Emerging Leaders Resource Network, an employee group dedicated to giving voice to young leaders across the country who have or are thinking about careers at the Y. This is his real life at the Y.

My love affair with the YMCA didn't begin as a young child with swim lessons or in youth sports. It began in graduate school with AmeriCorps. During my second service term with AmeriCorps I served at the Monroe County YMCA in Bloomington, IN. I worked with the community outreach coordinator to implement ENERGIZE, a childhood obesity prevention program that focused on health education and physical activity in rural Title I schools. Title I schools are schools with high numbers or high percentages of children from low-income families.

While working the front desk at the Y, I got to know A LOT of members. After all, part of my job was to welcome anyone and everyone who walked through the door with a smiling face. One member who stuck out to me was an older gentleman named Frank.

One of the first times I felt truly discouraged teaching swim lessons was with a shy, timid little girl. Surprisingly, there were no behavioral challenges – she was sweet and smart, and really not a handful. I had dealt with kids far worse than her, and always came out on top; the kids would have a great time, behavior issues would be gone or at least minimized, and I always felt so invigorated by the work I did.

Hidden behind Washington State Senate’s podium, my knees shook as the words began to spill out of my mouth. I had been waiting for this moment for four years, and there I stood reciting a speech I had practice thousands of times. Youth lieutenant governor, the person who presides over the Senate, was the position I had wanted to run for, for the longest time.

It's been well known that physical exercise can help prevent diseases such as Alzheimer's and vascular dementia. But multiple recent studies are confirming and even more exciting prospect that symptoms can actually be reversed.

Genzebe Dibaba's breathtaking world record performance and to a lesser extent, Shannon Rowbury's American record last week in Monaco were landmark events. Since Dibaba has been training to focus on the 5000, there is a lot of speculation on how fast she can ultimately run the distance.

For both devoted Track And Field geeks and casual fans, part of the fun is attempting to predict the outcomes. Some make it a science, gathering all the data they can on previous performances, reports on workouts and predicted weather. Others just go by their gut.

A coaching legend passes away, others clash in competition, while us mere mortals look for better ways to fuel our runs, deal with summer heat, and attempt to become strong like, if not ox, then an Olympic medalist boxer.

Legendary University of Oregon track and field coach Bill Bowerman started a tradition 50 years ago by reaching out to the community and teaching classes to first-time joggers and walkers to introduce them to aerobic exercise. Vin Lanana is now continuing that tradition.

I tried. I really did. I did my best to still stay on top of child-rearing, maintain a healthy relationship and keeping up with friends and family while also holding down a job. Despite my best efforts, I’ve come to the realization that I’m kind of a flake.

I read to her when she was a newborn and I felt silly talking to a baby who didn’t understand me. I read to her when she was a few months older and got bored a few sentences in. I continued to read to her when she thought books were only good for eating.